1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid consuming apparatus or the like.
2. Related Art
In an inkjet printer serving as an exemplary liquid consuming apparatus, in general, an ink cartridge, which is a detachable liquid container, is installed. A printer is disclosed that includes an ink cartridge provided with a prism, a holder (carriage) in which the ink cartridge is installed and that is provided with an opening portion at a position facing the prism, and a detection portion having a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion, in order to detect the amount of remaining ink in the ink cartridge (e.g., see JP-A-2013-99890).
When the light radiated by the light-emitting portion and entering from the opening portion of the holder is reflected at an inclined face of the prism, the state of reflection differs depending on whether or not the inclined face is in contact with the ink. Using this fact, the amount of remaining ink is detected based on the level of intensity or the like of the reflected light that enters the light-receiving portion. For this reason, for example, the reflected light that is reflected at the holder, a bottom face of the prism, or the like could be noise light and be a factor that hinders accurate detection of the amount of remaining ink in some cases.
In the printer described in JP-A-2013-99890, a light-blocking portion is provided in the opening portion of the holder. When the holder moves in a direction in which the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion are arranged, a part of the light radiated from the light-emitting portion is blocked by the light-blocking portion, thereby suppressing reflection at the bottom face of the prism. Furthermore, the light entering the light-blocking portion is caused to be reflected in a direction other than the direction toward the light-receiving portion by forming the bottom face (a face facing the detection portion) of the light-blocking portion into an inclined face inclining in the direction in which the light-emitting portion and the light-receiving portion are arranged. Thus, reduction of the noise light is achieved.
Incidentally, the amount of remaining ink is detected when relative positions of the prism and the detection portion reach a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to also as a detection position). However, the detection position is shifted from an originally-assumed detection position in some cases. For this reason, for example, a reflection portion is provided in the holder. Before the amount of remaining ink is detected, the holder is relatively moved with respect to the detection portion, the position of the reflection portion is detected based on the intensity level or the like of reflected light received by a light-receiving portion, and further, the detection position is corrected.
However, position correction processing using the reflection portion is performed by detecting, using the light-receiving portion, the reflected light that is emitted from a light-emitting portion in the detection portion and reflected at this reflection portion. For this reason, if other light is received by the light-receiving portion, the accuracy of the position correction processing will decrease. “Other light” mentioned here is, for example, ambient light that enters from the outside of the liquid consuming apparatus and light that is emitted from the light-emitting portion and reflected at a portion other than the reflection portion (e.g., reflected at the bottom face of the holder).